Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
by UnderAGlassMoon
Summary: Keitaro tries his third attempt at the Tokyo University entrance exam feeling resigned to failure. However, when things were beginning to go his way, they fall apart completely for somebody else...
1. Passing Isn't Everything

**Author's Note:** Yay! My first dabbles into Love Hina fanfiction. First of all, disclaimer, I don't own Love Hina. Second of all, if this sucks, do tell. ^_^

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**Chapter 1: Passing Isn't Everything  
**

Hello there. My name is Keitaro Urashima and I am 20 years old. My current occupation is a prospective undergraduate student and the manger of an all girls dormitory. It seems an odd combination, I know, but it's a long story how I ended up in this position. As a prospective undergraduate student, I am failing miserably. I've tried twice to get accepted into Tokyo University and I have twice failed. As an all girls dormitory manager, I didn't have much luck either as I am often on the end of some serious beatings. Being the only male in a place full of girls didn't come with as many perks as I had imagined. It just fits in with the rest of my sad life and my lack of luck with girls. A well as never having any sort of luck, I was nowhere near clever enough to get into Tokyo University. I didn't have any other talents like playing a sport or musical instrument either. Most people would call me hopeless. I'd prefer to call myself an unrealistic dreamer.

Dreaming about getting in is all I can do. It stems back from a long gone memory from my childhood where I had promised this girl that I would get into Tokyo University with her and live happily ever after. It was a silly promise because I was only 5 years old at the time and I didn't realise how difficult it was to get into Tokyo University. It was made even sillier by the fact that I didn't remember that girl's name or even how she looked like. I was a dreamer all right; chasing a dream I had absolutely no idea about. That left me in my current situation of desperately trying to study for the upcoming entrance exam and desperately trying to manage this crazy place called the Hinata Inn.

"Keitaro!" called out Mitsune. "Why haven't you started cooking the rice?"

I sighed heavily. Yet again, my studies had been disrupted by the trivialities of domestic chores of which I had to do the lion's share of. It was an uneasy truce held in between the girls and I. As long as I did most of the housework, they would leave me alone for the most part. However, I still managed to get myself into trouble every now and then and that usually involved lots of pain for me. I'm not too fond of pain. It tends to hurt.

"About time," Mitsune chuckled as I arrived in the kitchen. Mitsune Konno, or Kitsune as she was often referred to, was a busty, lazy alcoholic with no shame. As a result, she was incredibly fun to be around. Still, she liked to work me hard. "Why can't you just do it?" I asked forlornly. "You know I'm studying."

"Does it look like I know how to cook rice?" Mitsune laughed heartedly. That was right. All Mitsune knew how to do was to pull pranks on people and drink stupid amounts of beer and sake in the middle of the day. I sighed again, getting to work on cooking the rice in this archaic old fire driven cooker.

Barely minutes after the rice was done, I was expected to set the table. This time, it was Naru who was slave driving me. Naru Narusegawa was a rare breed who was very intelligent yet highly attractive at the same time. She still had her shortcomings however and for her, it was her very short temper. I had suffered many times as a result of it. Still, she was also the one who was the most empathetic when it came to me staying at this old inn. She even discovered that I wasn't a Tokyo University student like everyone else assumed and still let me away with it. Still, that secret quickly slipped and I was beaten as a result of it. I guess in many ways, Naru would prefer it if she didn't had to beat me so often but because of how careless I am, that could never happen. Like me, Naru is also trying for Tokyo University and with her currently being the number one student in Japan for mock entrance exams, it was a sure fire bet that she would be getting in.

Helping me set the table was Shinobu Maehara. She was the youngest in the dormitory and the only one who could really cook. As a result, she happily did most of the cooking and also the laundry as the girls were hardly eager for me to see some of their undergarments. I'm glad Shinobu did the laundry as it meant less potential beatings for me. Shinobu came across as shy but nice which was okay for me. And she doesn't take part in what now had become an almost ritualistic ceremony of kicking the crap out of me for which she has my appreciation.

The other two residents of the inn appeared once dinner was served. Kaollo Su was the second youngest resident of the dorm and by far the most crazy and hyperactive. Instead of saying hello like most people, she usually kicks me which was both quirky and painful. The other resident was Motoko Aoyama who appeared much older than her age due to her height. She is the resident martial artist and swordswoman. Give her anything resembling a sword and she quickly becomes very, very scary. I tend to avoid her as she beats me almost as often as Naru does.

After dinner, I was about to wash the dishes when Shinobu intervened. "It's okay Keitaro. I'll wash them. You have to study!" she said with a smile on that young face of hers.

"Huh? Are you sure? I could easily do them," I pointed out with uncertainty in my voice.

"It's fine! Go and study!" Shinobu insisted. So that was that. I headed off to my room, closed my door and dove straight into the books. The exam was perilously close and it was only now that I was beginning to understand some of this stuff. Better late than never I guess but still, it would have been better three years ago when I first tried to get into Tokyo University.

While studying mathematics which was by far my weakest subject, I heard some noise from above me. I looked up to see Naru moving the board that covered the hole in my ceiling. My room was directly below Naru's and if she ever possessed the desire to speak to me from her room it was made quick and easy with that hole. "Hey Keitaro," Naru said, peering down into my room. "Studying hard?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm finally getting the hang of some of this stuff."

"Really? That's good. Mind if I come down and study with you? I'm bored on my own," Naru requested.

This was a rare opportunity where I got to spend time with a girl one on one yet in my mind, I knew that passing this exam was more important than the impossible task of trying to get with a girl like Naru. "The day after tomorrow is _the day_," Naru said with a smile. "I really do hope we pass."

"You'll pass," I noted without moving my head from my books.

"You're just saying that."

"You're the number one student in Japan," I pointed out. "There's no chance of you failing."

"Well, I'm still nervous about it," Naru said.

"Nervous?" I asked.

That was right. The Naru in front of me wasn't the same self assured Naru that I met when I first arrived. Ever since the date of the entrance exam drew closer, she appeared to have been getting more nervous and my suspicions had been proven true. It seemed even the great Naru Narusegawa got nervous about tests and exams. To be perfectly honest, I felt less anxious that I would have at this point. That was maybe because I had gone through this whole process twice already and despite failing both times, I was used to it all. Or maybe I had just resigned myself to the fact that I'll most likely fail.

The two of us kept working and before I knew it, it was one in the morning. I sighed, hoping that I had done enough for today. I glanced over to Naru and noticed that her head was right into her books. I didn't think she'd be studying that intensely. I moved closer to her only to find that she wasn't moving at all and breathing quite deeply and regularly. "She's…asleep?" I said out loud in surprise. I tried to shake her awake but all that did was to make her murmur in her sleep. "No Kitsune…I don't want to drink the whole…bottle of sake…" When it was clear that she would not be waking up, I weighed up my options. Did I risk sleeping in the same room as her which might end up very badly for me? Probably not. I placed my blanket over Naru's sleeping form and opted to sleep out in the living room. As I lay there, I immediately realised how cold it was, being February and all. Still, I assumed it was the right thing to do.

* * *

"You're an idiot Keitaro," Naru muttered as she brought some hot tea to my room. I sneezed loudly, having caught the cold from sleeping on the sofa in the living room. I didn't have a blanket either as I had given that to Naru. "This is the worst time for you to get ill with the exam tomorrow and everything," Naru added.

"It's okay. I can still study," I pointed out.

"If he's well enough to study, then won't he be well enough to do some of the chores?" asked Kitsune hopefully.

"Surely you can't be serious," Naru said with a sigh. "Just for today, let him off, okay?"

"Whatever. It doesn't actually bother me anyway. I just don't like seeing good _man_power not being put to use!" Mitsune laughed before walking off.

"That Kitsune," Naru muttered. "Anyway, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," I said before sneezing again.

"Well, okay. I'll leave you to study," Naru said.

I blew my nose and sighed, not realising the possible side affects of my random act of kindness. Then again, I think having a cold over getting beaten to within an inch of my life seemed a fair enough deal. With nothing to do except study, I guess that was the best course of action. Maybe this was a good thing because there were no possible distractions. No distractions meant there was nothing to stop me powering on with my work! With renewed vigour, I opened my books and charged headlong into studying.

* * *

"Keitaro?" said a quiet sounding voice. I opened my eyes slowly to see Shinobu standing up beside my desk. "Huh…what?" I asked.

"Lunch is ready," she replied.

"Lunch?" I asked, not quite sure where I was. Then it hit me. "SHIT!!! SHINOBU??!! HOW LONG WAS I ASLEEP?!!" I yelled in a blind panic.

"I…I don't know! Sorry!" Shinobu cried before running away from my room.

"Oh…crap. I didn't mean to…" I said slowly.

"Did you make Shinobu cry again?" asked a very annoyed Naru.

"AAH! Naru! Where did you come from?!" I exclaimed, shocked that she had seemingly come out of nowhere. She answered me with her fist which sent me flying back into my room and crashing against the wall. Words don't do the pain I felt justice.

"You should know better than to make Shinobu cry like that. Now if I were you I'd go and apologise to her," Naru said.

"O…kay," I said as I peeled myself from the wall. After Naru stormed off, I check my vital signs as well as my limbs to check for broken bones. Thankfully, I was uninjured but I still wanted to know how hard Naru had to punch me to send me flying like that. I'm sure there were laws of physics that went against it.

After hastily apologising to Shinobu, I took my lunch and ate it in my room to save a tense meal with Naru at the other end of the table. After I had finished eating, I checked where I had gotten to with my studying. Thankfully, I had managed to do at least two hours of work before I had dosed off like an idiot. I read over those notes again and set about cramming until it hurt. This could be make or break for me and I needed every single second to count. I pressed onwards, not stopping for anyone or anything. However, once the clock struck three o'clock, I was so bored, it hurt. I stood up, stretched my arms and legs before going out of my room just to walk about.

"KEITARO!" cried who could only be Su as she kicked me in the face just as I had left my room. I fell down to the ground, writhing in agony, feeling like some of my teeth had been knocked out of place by that blow. "Owww…hi Su," I said as I brought myself to my feet.

"Why is Keitaro being so booooring?!" Su asked whilst running around me.

"I'm studying, Su," I replied, trying not to follow her around with my eyes so I didn't get dizzy.

"That's boring! Keitaro should come and play with me!" Su cried.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm just taking a walk to take a break," I explained, hoping that she would leave me alone. I don't have the energy to keep up with Su at all and even if I tried, it would leave nothing left in the tank to study.

"Aww! Oh well, good luck with trying to eat Toudai and everything!" Su said before running off.

"Thanks," I said, accepting Su's version of words of encouragement. She still thought Toudai was something edible, which I guess is quite cute.

I continued my walk outside and was immediately hit by the sharp cold. I had forgotten that I was slightly ill so I turned around to go back inside. However, I heard Motoko practicing her sword work up on the rooftop balcony. I moved to get a better view and saw her swinging her sword with such precision and grace. Her sword even seemed to cut the air. Once I saw that, I knew that I needed to put as much effort and dedication into this exam as Motoko had with her sword. I headed back in, reinvigorated and no longer bored of studying. In fact, I was raring to get going again which was a good sign.

The hours passed and evening fell over the Hinata Inn. I was still had at work which was surprising. Today had been my longest sustained period of studying of all time and I was feeling good about it. There were a few things I still wasn't quite sure about but I think I've got enough in me to really give this entrance exam a run for its money. I sat back after putting my pencil down on my desk and glanced over towards the clock. Eight o'clock. I thought we would have eaten dinner by now. This surely was strange so I decided to head out of my room. As soon as I opened the door, confetti and streamers exploded all over me as I was treated to a cry of "Good luck Keitaro!" from all the girls.

"Huh? What's this about?" I asked.

"Well, since your big exam is tomorrow, we all thought we'd through you a good luck party!" Kitsune explained.

"A good luck party?" I said, slightly confused as to why a party needed to be thrown for luck.

"Yup! Shinobu cooked an extra special meal and I got drinks for everyone! Let's party!" Kitsune cried. Before I could even utter a word of protest, I was in the living room with a drink in my hand and food on the table in front of my. Naru was next to me, looking fairly annoyed. "Did they drag you out too?" I asked. She responded curtly by nodding her head. She was clearly frustrated that she bent to peer pressure instead of studying. Still, Naru was a guaranteed pass for the entrance exam so a little party wouldn't hurt her chances at all.

* * *

When I meant a little party, I didn't quite envision this. I was drunk out of my mind, sitting back in my seat and staring at the ceiling. I never realised planks of wood could be so interesting to watch. "Kei…taro!" Naru said, grabbing my hand. "Stop being…boring. Come and dan…dance with us!"

"I can't Naruuuu!" I had replied. "I have an exhaam tomorrow!"

"So do I! Just dance! It'll be fine!" Naru said, slurring her speech very much in the process. So there I was, dancing with Naru and Mistune who were both as drunk as I was while Su jumped around like the hyper child she was, Motoko looked on in disgust and Shinobu watched in terror. What a way to pass the last night before my third attempt at the Tokyo University entrance exam.

* * *

"My head…" I muttered. Being hungover was not a handicap I appreciated right now as I sat in the lecture hall with the entrance exam paper sitting right in front of me waiting to be turned over. I looked over to Naru who was five seats to my left and it appeared as if was absolutely fine and clear from any alcohol ill-effects which was lucky for her. As my thoughts wondered, I considered the possibility that I was still drunk. As far as I was aware, I hadn't been drinking late enough to still be drunk. But I guess if I was still drunk, then I wouldn't be hungover. I shook my head, trying to clear any thoughts that would distract me from my exam. However, I immediately regretted it as I felt as if I was going to be sick right afterwards. I took a deep breath and waited for the examiner to let us begin. With my head throbbing, I turned my paper over and began the exam.

* * *

"I'm really nervous about this," Naru said. "Keitaro, what does it feel like to fail?"

I cringed hard. That was not the kind of question that I wanted to hear just now. "Naru…please," I said, hoping that she had some compassion in her.

"Oh, sorry," she apologised. "I'm just so nervous."

"Don't worry, you'll have passed," I said. "All it takes is to find your name and number on that board."

We had waited in absolute anguish for the publishing date of the reults of the exam and now the both of us were here, hopeful and expectant. I moved forward and looked hard for my number. I watched as people reacted to having either failed or passed the exam. Some girls were crying, some guys and girls were hugging each other in adulation. I was hoping to be of the latter variety but I didn't hold out too much hope for myself. If I failed twice, then who's to say that I won't fail again?

"Keitaro…Urashima?" I read off the board. I quickly got a hold of my student card and checked that the number matched. And it did. "I…passed. I…passed. I PASSED!" I cried, not caring that people would be looking at me funny. "Naru! Naru! Where are you! I passed the exam, I passed!" I pushed my way through the crowd to find Naru, hoping that we would be jumping and hugging like idiots when she found out I had passed as well. Instead, I saw tears running down her face when she looked me right in the eye. "Naru…?" I said slowly.

"Con…congratulations Keitaro. Looks like you finally made it in," Naru said before beginning to run away.

"Wait, Naru!" I yelled. "Stop running!"

"Leave me alone!" Naru cried as she disappearing into the distance.

I stood there, absolutely stunned that she hadn't passed. Maybe that party the night before had affected her. Maybe nerves had gotten the better of her. Whatever it was, Naru hadn't gotten into Tokyo University and I had. Suddenly, that promise I made 15 years ago didn't seem to matter anymore. I just wanted Naru to be happy just now and I knew that was impossible. Failing this entrance exam was the worst thing that could have happened for her and it was sadly made even worse by me passing it. Suddenly I wasn't so happy at getting into Tokyo University.

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**Author's Note:** So there you have it, the first chapter which sets up the rest of the fic quite nicely! As always, reviews are welcome and hopefully I can update this soon!


	2. A Drink To Good Health

**Author's Note:** Woop! Chapter 2! Just to warn you, the first part of the chapter is fairly intense and there may be things that gross people out! Just bear with it as surprisingly it's an important part of plot in this chapter as it sort of represents how bad one character feels! Hope I haven't spoiled anything! ^_^

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**Chapter 2: A Drink To Good Health  
**

When I arrived back at the Hinata Inn, there was some vain hope left in me that Naru had simply returned home and locked herself in her room. Instead, there was a welcoming party waiting for me. I looked up towards the girl and managed a weak smile but I couldn't wipe away the uncertainty from my face. Suddenly, I saw Su flip her banner around so that instead of reading 'Congratulations', it read 'Hard Luck! Try Again Next Year!'

"Su! You had a reversible banner?!" I cried in exasperation.

"We had to think about all the possible outcomes," Mitsune pointed out.

"All two," Motoko added dryly.

"Tough luck soldier. We figured that if you failed twice already then you wouldn't take failing again too badly," Kitsune chuckled. "Where's Naru? Is she out partying already?"

"Um…Naru is…" I began to say. I had no idea how to put this across to the girls. Telling them that Naru failed? That wouldn't be right of me at all. If anybody was going to tell them that Naru failed, it would be Naru herself, not me. At the same time, I really wanted to tell them that I had actually passed and that I was no longer a failure, yet every time I thought of doing that, I just felt worse for Naru. I know that she wouldn't have wanted me to feel sorry for her but still, I couldn't help it. "Naru is…in town…ah, crap! She told me to meet her there! I'll be back with her later," I lied. It was a barefaced lie and I knew it but I guess there are times that you needed to lie and this was one of them. "Okay then. Hard luck Keitaro," Mitsune said.

"You tried your best!" Shinobu cried.

"Thanks girls. I'll see you later," I said before turning around and walking away.

Once again, I deceived the girls because I was unwilling to part with the truth but this time, I think it was the best. Now I had to find Naru which was much easier said than done at this present juncture. I grabbed my phone out my pocket before realising that she probably wasn't going to reply to a text message or answer her phone. Still, I had to try so I sent her a text and hoped that she would at least reply and tell me where she was. As I made it into town I hopped on a bus and waited patiently for it to get me where I needed to be. Those exam results were posted all the way from Tokyo University and I had already made the trip back. Who knows where Naru could have ended up by the time I got there.

When I got off the bus, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I checked to see that Naru had indeed replied to my message.

**##From: Naru##**

**Received: 13:24 ## 10-03-99**

**Keitaro I need to be alone. Don't try and find me.**

I hastily replied to the message, saying that I was trying to find her anyway. After that, I pocketed my phone and tried to guess where she could have ended up in the hour and a half I had been away. Looking around, I cringed. It could have been anywhere. The area surrounding Tokyo University's Hongo Campus was huge. Still, I looked on, wondering where a 17 year old girl goes when she finds out that she has failed the entrance exam for Tokyo University. After much deliberation in my mind, I decided that she was probably in a bar. I looked for the nearest bar and immediately saw Naru from the window to my absolute surprise. I didn't expect her to be the first place that I looked. She was sitting at a table for two on her own with a large plate of food and several empty glasses in front of her.

I quickly entered the bar and sat down facing her. "So you found me," she muttered. "Here to gloat?"

"I was worried about you," I said.

"So worried that you went home by yourself?" Naru asked.

"Huh? You know I went back?"

"Well, duh. I snapped to my senses and decided to find you, only to see that you were on the first bus back!" Naru exclaimed. "That's why I'm here!"

I could tell that Naru had made her way through several drinks from how she was speaking. This was not good. The last thing I needed was a drunk, emotional Naru. I was also surprised that this bar was serving her despite her being underage. Maybe they were just used to failed Tokyo University applicants coming in. "Sorry, I didn't think you wanted to go back too," I confessed.

"So, what did you tell everyone back at Hinata? That you passed and Naru messed up like a fucking idiot?"

"Whoa! Easy Naru! We're in public and it's the middle of the day!" I said, trying to get her to keep her voice down and her language in check. This could turn out really badly if I wasn't careful. "Well, did you?" she asked again.

"No, they think I was the one who failed. I couldn't tell them you failed. That's not for me to say. At the same time I couldn't tell them I passed either," I replied.

"How bloody noble!" Naru cried. "That's the last thing I need. Your sympathy!"

"I'm not here to give you sympathy. I came to, well, make sure that you were all right and to take you home," I said. I then lowered my voice and said, "This isn't the place for you either. If you caught then you'd be in trouble."

"Does it look like I care?! Look, this is how much a care! Barman!" Naru yelled.

"Yes ma'am?" the barman replied.

"I'd like another double vodka and lemonade!" Naru said.

"Certainly!"

"Listen, Mr Barman, I don't think that that would be a good idea…" I began to say.

"And don't listen to a word this guy says!" Naru interjected.

"Certainly ma'am. Your drink will come to you shortly!" the barman said.

Classy place where they had people bring your drinks to you instead of you going up to the bar. Or maybe Naru was just the kind of good looking girl everybody wanted to serve. I stood up and went up to the barman to explain the situation. "Listen, Mr Barman, sir, I don't think it's the best idea serving her anymore drinks. She…uh, failed an important exam and…"

"Listen son," the barman interrupted. "I knew from the minute she walked in here that she failed the Toudai entrance exam. If she wants to drink, let her drown her sorrows for today."

It was hardly the best advice but I guess I would roll with it. As soon as Naru received her drink she knocked it back all in one. "Naru, this isn't a good idea," I said.

"Shut up you!" Naru snapped. "I want to drink! You should be drinking too! You passed!"

"Naru, I don't want to…"

"I want two tequila slammers Mr Barman!" Naru yelled.

"Certainly," the barman replied.

"How are you going to pay for this?" I asked.

"The barman said it was all on the house if I made it past ten drinks," Naru said with a smile. "Anyway, do you know how to do a tequila slammer?"

"Naru, I don't think it matters…"

"You lick this bit of your hand and pour the salt on it, that way the salt sticks. Then…you lick the salt, take the shot and bite into the lemon," Naru explained. "It's simple!"

"I said already, I don't want to drink," I pointed out with a sigh.

"Don't be silly! I'm moping about my failure at everything and you're celebrating your success! It's the perfect time for the both of us to be drinking!" Naru cried.

The two shots arrived with a salt shaker and two slices of lemons. "Okay Keitaro, get ready!" Naru said. I reluctantly licked the side of my right hand before pouring the salt on it. "Okay! Ready, set, go!" Naru cried. I licked the salt, took the shot and bit the lemon just like Naru had told me too and found it utterly disgusting. Tequila was one of the worst alcoholic drinks I had ever tasted. "That wasn't so bad, was it? I've always wanted to do one of those!" Naru said while laughing. "Now Keitaro! You need to catch up to me!"

"I don't need to do anything…"

"Mr Barman! Get me two double vodka and lemonades for my friend here!" exclaimed Naru.

"I don't like vodka," I said. "Naru, what you're doing is crazy…"

"Make that two double JD and cokes!" Naru yelled.

"Certainly!" the barman said.

Soon, the two drinks were in front of me with an expectant Naru look across the table at me. "Well, what are you waiting for? Down them!" she said.

"Down…them?" I asked.

"Sure! You're playing…catch up with me! Down them! You're going to be a freshman aren't you? Down it freshman!" Naru said. I was sure by this point that she was well and truly drunk. However, I obliged to her wishes to make her stop yelling in the middle of this bar. It wasn't even two o'clock in the afternoon yet and Naru was this drunk already. I could think of better ways of moping about exam failure. I took the first drink and opened out my gullet so that I could consume the entire beverage in one gulp. I did the same for the second and found the experience less than pleasant. "Good going! You're a champ!" Naru cried. This was the first time I had ever heard anyone refer to me as a champ. And even worse, I could feel the alcohol starting to effect me. Because I drank everything so quickly, my poor liver hadn't really had a chance to deal with the alcohol. "Barman…I want…two Jägerbombs and I want them now!" Naru exclaimed, her speech significantly slurred by this point.

"Coming right up ma'am," the barman said.

Another drink I had never tried before. It was a combination of a shot of Jägermeister and a glass of a caffeine energy drink like Red Bull. "You take the shot, drop…drop it into the glass of Red Bull and chug it," Naru explained. "You ready?"

"No," I replied with a gulp.

"Okay…! One, two, three, go!" Naru cried before the two of us consumed the drinks. "Aah! That was gr…great!"

"It was nice," I said, actually quite liking it.

"Did you know…did you know that the mixture of a stimulant…like caffeine and a depressant like alcohol can…can stop your heart?" Naru asked.

"What?! Why are you telling this now?!" I exclaimed.

"Because I knew you'd get in a biiiiig huff over it!" Naru laughed. "Barman, can I get…a bottle of sake between us!"

"Certainly!" the barman replied. I knew for sure that this was going to be really, really bad.

* * *

I managed to avoid drinking much of the sake which meant I was feeling quite inebriated but not so drunk as to really impede my judgment. However, Naru really went all out on that bottle and as a result she was in a bad way. It was made ever worse that the bus that we were on was being driven by a new driver who was making a rough job of it all. I tried to pass it off to other passengers on the bus that Naru was asleep but it was clear that she had just about passed out from drinking too much. It was only half past three in the afternoon as well. I was hoping that there would be no police officers about because Naru would really be in trouble if we bumped into one.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we got at the stop outside the Hinata hot springs. When I say 'we', I mean I got off while walking Naru along with her arm slung around my shoulder. It was a slow process walking with her and then we reached the stairs. "Shit," I muttered as I took the first step. By the time we had gotten halfway up, Naru started to tap me on the shoulder with her free hand. I let go of her and she immediately went to the side of the staircase, pushed her head over the side and vomited. It wasn't a pretty sight or sound. I moved closer to the girl and rubbed her back, hoping that she would get over it quickly.

I grabbed a hold of her again and made it up to the inn. When I walked inside, only Motoko was in clear sight. "Motoko…can you help me take Naru up to her room?" I asked, trying to appear as sober as possible.

"What happened?" Motoko inquired.

"It's a long story," I responded. The two of us guided the very intoxicated Naru up the stairs and into her room. "Is she…drunk?" Motoko asked.

"Very," I replied. "Is there a bin about?"

"Um…over there," Motoko said after scanning the room. I grabbed the bin and placed it beside Naru. She grabbed a hold of it and much to Motoko's and my dismay, Naru threw up again. She then collapsed into her bed and started snoring almost immediately. "We should turn her onto her side," Motoko suggested.

"Good idea," I said, knowing that Naru could vomit in her sleep. We placed Naru in our best estimation of the recovery position before leaving her to sleep off all that alcohol.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Urashima," Motoko said.

"I know, I know," I said, feeling very sober now thanks to seeing Naru throw up twice in the space of ten minutes. "Get everyone together. I'll tell them what happened."

* * *

Once everyone was in the living room, Mitsune asked, "Was Naru partying a bit too hard?"

"No," I replied. "She failed the entrance exam."

There was a stunned silence in the living room. I don't think any of them were expecting those words to come out of my mouth. "She…failed?" Shinobu said in horror.

"So you both failed?" inquired Mitsune.

"No. I passed," I answered.

"What?! Why didn't you tell us?" Shinobu cried.

"I couldn't stop thinking about Naru failing. If I told you I passed then I would have had to say how she did and I just didn't have the heart to tell you the truth before because I thought I would be bad on Naru if I was the one who told you that she failed," I explained. "I went back to try and find her and she was in a bar, drowning her sorrows as they say."

"Well, she did a good job," Motoko muttered. "I've never seen anyone that drunk before. It's shameful."

"Listen, go easy on her okay," I said. "She's failed the entrance exam and I've got a feeling that me passing is just salt in the wound for her."

"Keitaro's got a point," Mitsune agreed. "She was the one expected to succeed. You were the one expected to fail. With things being the other way around, it must have really hurt her."

"Well, she won't be doing much in her current state. It will be a good many hours before she sleeps that off," Motoko noted.

"Will Naru be all right?" Shinobu asked.

"She'll be fine. But I bet she'll regret drinking that much when she wakes up," I said.

* * *

We decided that we should keep a constant eye on Naru just in case she vomited again or if she woke up drunk. Hopefully she would just keep on sleeping and everybody would stay calm over the whole issue. I wasn't calm at all on the other hand. My anxiety had skyrocketed in the past few hours. I never knew that passing the Tokyo University entrance exam could bring so much grief. I really needed to speak to someone about advice and there was only one person in my immediate family that I trusted enough to speak to about something so sensitive.

"So you passed?" Haruka asked before exhaling to let cigarette smoke float through the air.

"Yeah," I replied. "But I don't feel good about it knowing that Naru failed."

"You know that this exam is the responsibility of the person who takes it. If Naru failed, she's the only one to blame for it," Haruka pointed out. "Anyway, this is what you wanted, isn't it? You've finally gotten in and you can prove your parents wrong as well."

"I guess so. They'll be shocked to find out I made it in," I noted. "Still, why did it have to be Naru who failed? Things would have been easier if I failed and she passed."

Haruka smiled before taking another puff of her cigarette, "Keitaro, you care too much about other people. That's always been your weakness."

"My…weakness?"

"Well, think of it as a good weakness. Whether it was Shinobu's birthday or Motoko trying to kill you, you always tried your best to make everyone happier," Haruka explained. "And I think, personally, that everyone would be happier if you just pursued your dream and went to Toudai."

"What will Naru do?" I asked.

"She'll have to do what every failed applicant does and reapply for the next entrance exam. You know the score; you have tried three times remember," Haruka said. "I don't think Naru has or wants a second choice university either. It's Tokyo University or nothing for her."

"Just like me, huh?" I said with a nervous chuckle. "Why does Naru want to get into Toudai so badly anyway?"

"Something about a high school crush or something like that," Haruka replied.

"I see."

"Keitaro, I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is one of those times where you should be happy with what you've achieved. Your parents thought it was totally impossible for you to get accepted yet you somehow still managed. This is your chance to shine, Keitaro. You should grab this opportunity with both hands." I nodded my head and began to set off from the Tea house. "Oh, and one more thing Keitaro," Haruka added. "You're going to have to clean up Naru's sick by the staircase. It's starting to stink."

"WHY ME??!!" I cried furiously towards my aunt. Some of the things I had to do at this place!

* * *

"Grab this opportunity with both hands, huh?" I said to myself as stood on the balcony at the back of the inn. It looked over the hot springs but I made sure nobody was taking a bath before I went up there. My life had been a one way trip straight down until I had come to this inn. Now I can actually speak to girls just like every other guy and I'm getting on with them quite well now. And my life had reached its highest point in all my 20 years when I passed this entrance exam. I was a Tokyo University student now. I managed to get accepted into the most prestigious and competitive university in all of Japan and I should have been over the moon. Yet all my thoughts kept going back to Naru. Maybe Aunt Haruka was right. Maybe I did try too hard to make everybody happy. I knew it was difficult to do but everything is better when everybody is happy.

"Tokyo University student!" I heard Mitsune yell from the hot springs.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"Piss off! Su and I are taking a bath now! Haha!"

"Okay!"

I headed back inside and continued with the same thoughts running circles inside my head. As I continued to wonder aimlessly, I felt someone tug on my shirt sleeve. "Huh?" I asked.

"Sorry Keitaro. It's just me," said Shinobu.

"Oh, hi Shinobu," I said, managing a smile for the young girl.

"Keitaro…aren't you happy about getting into Toudai?" she asked.

"I am," I replied. "It's what I've wanted all this time."

"But you don't look happy about it," Shinobu noted.

"I…I don't know. It just feels like there's something not right about me getting in and Naru not," I said.

"There's nothing wrong," Shinobu said. "Naru's strong, she can try again and she can pass, but this is what you wanted!"

"I know," I said, not feeling any better about it. "I know."

* * *

I awoke at 6 in the morning for no apparent reason and couldn't get back to sleep either. Instead of simply lying in bed aimlessly, I got up and out before wondering through to the living room of the Hinata Inn. Surprisingly, Naru was up as well, simply sitting on the sofa in silence, staring into space. "Naru?" I asked.

"Keitaro?" she answered, turning around slowly to face me.

"Are you okay?" I asked next, guessing from her pale, sickly appearance that she was very badly hungover.

"No," she replied as expected. "I feel like my head is going to explode."

I moved forward slowly and sat on the sofa across from her, not quite knowing what to say. "I'm sorry about myself yesterday," Naru said. "I shouldn't have drunk that much…no; I shouldn't have drunk at all in the mood I was in."

"It's okay," I said. "Sometimes we need to let go."

"No, that was stupid," Naru said. "All because I didn't get into Tokyo University. What was the point of causing all that drama? All I have to do is apply for next year's exam, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," I replied.

"You've been through it twice before and I'm sure you didn't do what I did. All I have to do is keep trying and get in next year. It's easy…I mean, you even had to re-sit the exam twice and you still kept trying…but I still feel horrible about failing!" Naru said, breaking out into tears.

Words failed me at that point. I couldn't reassure her in any way. My lips were sealed shut and my mind made itself incapable of compassion. A part of me wanted to agree with her and say go, 'Too bad, I failed twice. Big deal. Do it next year.' But the other part wished I had failed as well, just to make Naru feel better about it. Or even better, she passed and I failed, just to prove she was more deserving of getting into Toudai. The way it all panned out was just plain cruel.

"I'm sorry Naru. I feel like me getting in just makes it worse for you. I should have been the one who failed," I said.

"No…Keitaro, you passed, I failed, that's the way it is. I'm just being…melodramatic I guess," Naru said, fending off the tears that persisted upon running down her face.

"It's like me passing was just something to hurt you, like some cruel irony…" I added.

"Don't say that…"

"You deserved to pass. You had the potential and the grades, not to mention looks and popularity. Had you passed, people would have been happy…"

"Keitaro, stop…"

"When I passed, all it does is hurt you and I don't feel good about it at all."

"No, it's not like that…"

"Seeing you like this, I would have happily swapped places with you…"

That was when she slapped me. I held my left cheek after Naru struck me across the face as hard as she could. I was left stunned. "Why should you feel guilty about something you've achieved, Keitaro?! Why should you be the one miserable when you've finally gotten in Toudai?!" Naru yelled straight at my face. "If anything, I don't deserve to take away your happiness! Nobody deserves to take away the happiness you should be feeling right now! You should be over the moon! You should be having the time of your life! This is what you achieved! Don't worry about me, I just let nerves get the better of me, and it happens! Keitaro, stop thinking about how other people feel for once and be happy yourself! Go to Toudai! Live your dream! I'll be joining you…next year," Naru said before dropping her head into her hands and really starting to cry.

"Naru…" I said softly.

"Don't…don't worry about me," Naru said. "I'll get over this. You go and be happy."

I stood up and felt like reassuring Naru somehow, whether it was through words or a hug didn't really matter to me at that moment. However, when I approached her, all I saw was somebody who wanted to be left alone. I guess the best thing I could have done was respect those wishes and do what she asked of me. Everybody had said the same thing to me so I guess there was only one thing to be done. I guess it had been my dream for so long to get in so there was no point in stopping now.

* * *

During and after breakfast, there had been no sign of Naru whatsoever. She obviously didn't want to be seen by any of us and stayed in her room after I saw her in the morning. With that lingering in my mind, I took the next bus to Tokyo University to hand in my place confirmation. All students who were accepted into the university had to confirm their places by the 15th of March by mail but I felt like going there to hand it in, just to be there, I guess. Although honestly, I just wanted to walk around the university grounds to see if I felt happy at all. Was there really happiness to be attained from getting into Toudai? Would I ever meet this promised girl? I had no idea whatsoever but I was going to go anyway.

Once I got off the bus, I started walking towards the Hongo campus and quickly realised that I didn't actually know where I had to hand my confirmation into. I knew I had forgotten something! I looked around to see if there were any members of the faculty about and after finding nobody, I decided that I had to go in and find an office of some sort. As I continued forward, I heard a loud screeching noise from behind me. I turned around and to my absolute horror, I saw a banged up old van racing straight towards me. "AAAAH!" I had cried as a desperately tried to jump out the way. Just as the fan was about to smash straight into me, it suddenly flipped forward and flew just inches over my head before landing on all four tyres in a parking spacing behind me. I slowly opened by eyes to see the front bumper of the van firmly wedged into a kerbstone in front of me while the actual van was in a parking space. I couldn't believe how close I had come to death!

The driver emerged from the van and I had no intention of going easy on him. "YOU IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!" I yelled at the top of my voice.

"Huh?" the man said as he lit as a cigarette. He was quite tall and wore glasses like. He also had a long white lab coat on which made me assume that he was a staff member at this university. "You drove straight towards me! You could have run me over!" I said again. That was when I noticed the blood pouring down from the side of his face, quite profusely as well. "Oh, sorry! I didn't see you!" the man laughed.

"DIDN'T SEE ME?! YOU WERE DRIVING STRAIGHT AT ME!" I cried again.

"Are you a student?" the man asked. "Or a successful applicant? Let me guess…"

"Here we go…" I muttered.

"Student right? Nerdy appearance, not much appeal to the opposite sex. You must do maths or something?" the man asked.

I collapsed to the ground in absolute shock and awe and this man's guile. First, he nearly kills me and then he insults me and every student ever to have studied mathematics at university! "No! I'm a successful applicant!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, my bad. Sorry for driving at you. Sometimes I forget where the road is or where people are on the pavement when I drive on the pavement!" the man said with a hearty laugh.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How did someone like this ever get a driving license? A better question; how the hell did ever become a faculty member at Tokyo University?! "Um…okay," I said uneasily. "Do you, uh, know where I hand in my place confirmation?"

"No idea!" the man said with another laugh. "I'm just a researcher and occasional lecturer! I don't know about things like that!"

I cringed and said, "Shouldn't you know?"

"Tell you what! I'll walk you in and find out for you!" the man said. "First of all, what's your name?"

"Keitaro Urashima," I replied.

"I'm Dr Noriyasu Seta, PhD archaeology! A pleasure to meet you!" he said. When I went to shake his hand, the blood from his head had already reached his hand which was rather unpleasant. "Um…you're bleeding by the way," I said.

"I am? Oh well! Anyway, let's find this place you need to hand your thingabeewhatsit into!" Seta said as he led me into the university, still bleeding and leaving his van in a smoking heap. Who the hell was this guy and why was he so insane? Did I have to be insane too to become an academic at Tokyo University? And why am I following him?! He nearly killed me!


	3. Enjoy The Ride

**Chapter 3: Enjoy The Ride**

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait for an update! Good news is that this is a nice, long chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

"Do you have any idea where you are going?!" I cried as I followed this Seta guy around in circles.

"I've been a researcher here for a few years now! I know my way to the office bit," Seta said with a laugh as he took out another cigarette.

"You can't smoke in here!" I said, absolutely stunned by what was either the sheer indifference or idiocy this man displayed.

"Huh? Oh yeah! I should know that, shouldn't I?"

"ARGH!"

I couldn't hold in my sheer frustration. This man who was apparently a PhD recipient from this university didn't even know that he couldn't smoke indoors!

"Can we just go to the school office so I can hand in my place confirmation?!" I yelled.

"Yeah, sure, hold on. Let me just get my bearings," Seta replied, looking around while scratching the top of his head. "Let me see, we're in the history department so the office should be nowhere near here."

I collapsed on the ground in complete exasperation. This man had no clue about anything. "HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW YOUR OWN UNIVERSITY?!" I cried, almost brought to tears by frustration.

"No need to be like that!" Seta said with a laugh. "You take things pretty seriously for someone about to go into university!"

There was no point retorting. He would probably just laugh at me again. And for the record, I think this Seta doesn't take things seriously enough for being a member of staff at this university! "Listen son, just take a deep breath and relax. You might enjoy things more that way," Seta said as he finally began walking in a coherent manner and direction.

I took his advice, took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, things are a bit complicated in my life."

"You're too young to have a complicated life!" Seta laughed. "I mean, how old are you? 17? 18?"

"20," I replied sheepishly.

"Really? You look a bit young for your age!" said Seta. Well, I guess that was a compliment from him. "So what's making things so complicated if you don't mind me asking?" Seta inquired.

"Something to do with entrance exams and a girl," I replied.

"A friend of yours didn't get in, huh?" Seta said.

"How did you…?"

"Tokyo University's a tough place to get accepted into. I've heard this story often."

"Well, the thing is, she was first in the national prep school exams and everything. She was a sure bet to get in but somehow didn't. I was near stone cold last in the ranking yet by some miracle, I got in," I explained to a man I barely knew and felt like maiming just a few moments ago.

"She obviously let nerves get the better of her," Seta noted.

"That's not the last of it. She feels really bad about it and because I got in, I think it makes her feel even worse," I pointed out. "She always called me an idiot when we were studying together so this must have really got to her. Ah, crap, what a mess."

"You win some, you lose some. The most you can do is encourage her to try her best for next year's exams," Seta said.

"I guess so. I doubt it'll make her feel any better," I said with a sigh.

"You can only do her best and so can she," said Seta, "so you might as well enjoy the ride."

I looked up at the man and for someone I took for a complete moron and numbskull was actually quite a cool guy. "Here we are, the university main office," Seta said. I was taken aback when he spoke. I hadn't realised that we had made it all the way here. I moved up to the counter and handed my place confirmation over and that was that. "Oh well, that's all that I came here to do," I said.

"Are you heading back?" Seta asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied.

"Well it was good to meet you Keitaro. I might see you in a lecture or two," Seta said with a smile.

"Sounds good. What do you teach?" I asked.

"Well, my PhD is in archaeology so you'll usually find me teaching that. I occasionally take the odd ancient history class as well," Seta answered.

"I'll see you there, then," I said before leaving Seta and Tokyo University behind for now.

* * *

He was crazy, admittedly, but he seemed a cool and nice guy. I could almost forgive him for nearly killing me. Almost. I did value my life quite highly, even if I've never achieved much with it. I walked out of Tokyo University's Hongo campus and out onto the streets, heading for the bus station. Maybe now would be a good time to learn how to drive in the months before I start university. That way I wouldn't be at the mercy of public transport, as good or efficient as it was. Then again, I could never afford a car or afford to run it at the moment. The economy is doing badly these days anyways.

On the way to the bus, I walked past a book store and I saw Motoko of all people walk out of it. I waved to her and she raised her hand to about her shoulder height, making the least possible effort to acknowledge me. "Hi Motoko," I said once I got to her. "Buying books?"

"For academic, matters, yes," she replied, rather formally. "Are you heading home now?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Good. I'll come with you then," she said.

The two of us walked to the bus stop and sat down to wait for the next bus which was in five minutes or so. "So, what books did you buy?" I asked.

"University guides," Motoko replied. "Next year, I'll have to seriously consider it so I was planning ahead."

"Oh, okay. Thinking of anywhere in particular?" I said.

"Anywhere but Kyoto," Motoko replied.

"Really? Why?" I asked, trying to keep this rare conversation between Motoko and I going for as long as possible as to avoid any chance of a beating.

"Don't ask," Motoko said with a grimace on her face. "Actually, Tokyo University is a possibility, although I would have to work hard at it."

"Yeah. I was just handing in my place confirmation there actually," I pointed out.

"So you're actually going?" Motoko inquired.

"Actually going? Well, yeah, there's no point in passing the exam and not going. I got in so I'll go. There's no better university in the country."

"Mitsune and I believed you would get cold feet over the whole Naru issue."

"To be honest, I almost did. I considered deferring my entry for a year simply to make her feel better. But I didn't."

Motoko smiled and said, "Good for you. Naru will pick herself up, I'm sure of it. All of us were just hoping that you didn't do something moronic like you usually do and thankfully you didn't."

If this was Motoko's skewed version of a compliment, I'd gladly take it. "Have you seen Naru around, speaking of her?" I asked next.

"No, I left Hinata-Sou shortly after you did," Motoko replied. "She'll be fine. Probably sleeping off that hangover."

"I guess so," I said, neglecting to point out that Naru had been awake since 6 that morning. Then again, she could have easily gone back to bed. You don't experience a hangover if you're not conscious. A moment of silence passed and my worst fear had come true. All communications had ceased, which meant that Motoko could hit me in the face for no reason whatsoever, probably to fill her desire to cause me great pain.

Instead, she asked, "So how does it feel to be a Tokyo University student then?"

"How does it feel? Well…I won't know for sure just yet but I met a man today who had me worried about it all," I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he was an archaeology PhD. He was crazy and almost ran me over," I pointed out.

"He…almost ran you over?" Motoko asked, a bit more surprised about the whole thing than I was.

"Yeah," I replied before yawning.

"Keitaro…you should probably contact the police about that," Motoko said.

I briefly turned to face Motoko before chuckling. "Nah, there's no need. Turns out he's a pretty cool guy," I said.

"I don't quite understand the connection between nearly running you over and being a cool guy," said Motoko.

"Well, after walking around in circles and trying to light a cigarette indoors which drove me insane, he finally started walking in the right direction and we started talking," I explained.

"Right direction to where?" Motoko asked.

"Oh, right, I forget to tell you that part. I couldn't find the main office to hand my confirmation in so I asked him for directions," I replied.

"Okay, I get it now," Motoko said. "I still can't believe you let him nearly run you over."

"I didn't let him!" I cried.

"Well, you forgave him far too easily."

"Maybe I'm a pushover?"

"That sounds about right."

"You're not meant to agree with me!"

Motoko laughed and said, "You're an idiot. Here's the bus." I sighed and followed her on with my head hung low. I guess I'm really only on this planet for the comic relief of others.

* * *

The two of us arrived back at the Hinata Inn and I was 'greeted' by Su as soon as I got through the door. Now that I had a bruised cheek from Su's flying kick, I went about some chores, mainly to do with the preparation of lunch. Thankfully for myself, Mitsune wasn't there to slave drive me so I went about at my own pace. I helped Shinobu out in the kitchen as well to pass the time to make sure I served my time to the fullest. Once Shinobu had told me to go away because I 'had done enough already', I went to my room, collapsed backwards onto my bed and blew a deep sigh. I couldn't quite get over the fact that I was now officially a Toudai student. That unattainable dream of mine was now a fathomable reality and it was only all hitting me now. I sat myself up and found myself bursting to the seams with excitement. I raised my arms in the air and collapsed back down on the bed. This weird euphoria was a pleasant experience and I wouldn't mind feeling like this for the weeks to come.

Yet there was a niggling feeling in the back of my mind. I was meant to meet the girl of my promise once I got into Toudai yet there was no such indication. I guess it was a stupid amount of years ago and I did fail twice. Maybe this promised girl had already gotten in and was two years into her course. That would make the whole, 'hey, we promised to get in together' routine seem a bit redundant. Two years into university meant that this promised girl might already be in a serious relationship, possibly finding the man that she wanted to marry. Looking at it that way, my hopes seemed to be dashed. She could still be single, but what's a third year student want from a twice-failed social reject like me? Maybe my dream was dead.

Other than that I was happy! I was in Tokyo University! Things couldn't have been better!

I heard a knocking from the ceiling that only meant one thing. "Keitaro, are you in your room?" asked Naru from hole in the ceiling which was currently covered by a wooden board on her floor.

"Yeah," I replied, not bothering to move.

Naru moved the board and popped her head through the hole. Then her head popped straight back up. I found this a bit odd. Why would she ask if I was in my room just to pop her head through the floor and run off? I got up from my bed and walked up to the hole. When I looked up through it, I saw up Naru's skirt. That is, for a very brief moment. That up-skirt view seemed to grow in size which was, in reality, Naru falling down through the hole. It was quick and painful. I ended up lying face down on the ground with Naru's butt right on top of the back of my head. Naru's expected reaction to this incredibly surreal situation was somewhat delayed. Give it a moment. One. Two. Three…

"YOU MORON!" Naru cried as she got up and kicked me across the room. I rocketed up to the ceiling, bounced off of it and crashed into the floor, resulting in excruciating agony in all the bones in my body, all of which I assumed to be broken. "Sorry…" I said, trying to get up and managing somehow. I expected to see bones poking through my skin but there was nothing apart from a few cuts and bruises. I wondered how I ever managed to survive the thumps I get sometimes. "Jeez, could you not tell I was going to pop down through the hole?!" Naru cried, still incredibly peeved at me."

"No," I said sheepishly. "Sorry again."

"It's okay. Maybe I should say sorry. I should probably treat you differently now, with you being a Tokyo University student and all," Naru said with a sigh.

"I'm not a student just yet," I pointed out.

"Didn't you hand in your confirmation?" Naru asked with a look of worry quickly enveloping her face.

"No, I handed it in," I replied. "I'm just not quite a student yet though."

"Oh, I see," Naru said. "Well, I'm glad you did. You worked hard for it."

"Thanks," I said, not quite knowing what else to say, really. This felt kind of awkward for me.

"Anyway, the reason I came down wasn't to kick you, but to apologise for being a blubbering idiot this morning," Naru said.

"No, it's okay…you…well…uh, you just…"

"I know, I had a lot on my mind. Still, I'm not worth your troubles," Naru said with a weak smile.

I wanted to say that she was. I mean, anybody as pretty as she was deserved to be cared about. Unfortunately, eloquence was forcefully evicted from my body. "Yeah, that's true," I said, cringing straight afterwards.

"…Um, okay," Naru said, visibly displeased with my moronic utterance.

"No, sorry, that's not what I meant! I…"

Naru walked straight past me without looking at me or saying a word. The next sound I heard was the sound of my door opening and closing. Well, I did it again. I caused a lot of hurt to Naru by saying something without thinking. And if I thought about it, I obviously didn't apply it to the words that I blurted out. There are times when I do something stupid and the girls will physically punish me for it and then there are times when I do something so catastrophically and monumentally brainless which does not result in a beating. However, it does result in causing hurt to the girl in question and Naru was the worst person I could have done it to. I tried to thing of something to so but nothing came to mind. I then decided it was a good idea to do the most inappropriate thing possible just then.

* * *

"Cheers!" cried Kitsune and I, raising our beers in the air before taking large gulps respectively. Anybody with a dribble of sense would know that my current course of action was far from the right one. However, I felt dried of options at this current juncture. "So, what brings you into my domain of early afternoon drinking?" Mitsune asked, making light of the fact that this was the first time I've ever been in her room.

"I feel like there's nothing else for me to do," I said sadly.

"I know how you feel," laughed Mitsune.

"No, not like that!" I said. "I mean, something's gone wrong and I don't know what to do."

"What? Well, why the hell are you drinking with me then?" Kitsune inquired with a smile.

"I just…I just don't know," I muttered before taking another swig at my beer.

"Well, a good guy told me once that you can only do your best in life, so you might as well enjoy it," Mitsune said.

"That sounds familiar," I noted.

"Probably. It's pretty standard motivational talk. So, what's gone wrong to bring you here with me?"

"Naru," I said.

"What? You pissed her off or something?"

"I don't know. It was just a little slip of the tongue, really."

"Explain it to me."

I did as Mitsune requested and by that point, the two of us were on our second beers. "I see," Kitsune said with her hand on her chin. "Keitaro, are you aware of how complex us women are?"

"Um…I think?" I offered weakly.

"No, by saying you do means you most definitely don't!" Mitsune said. "No man understands a woman! Any man who claims to can't be any farther from the truth!"

"So women are really complex?" I asked.

"Yup. We're complex all right. As complex as it gets. As a man you're genetically designed not to understand the opposite sex!" Kitsune declared.

"So why is Naru so annoyed at me?" I inquired.

"I have no idea!" Kitsune declared next with her drink held high.

I collapsed onto the ground in complete astonishment. "Shouldn't you know about these things?! You are a woman, aren't you?!"

"I just said women are complex," Mistune pointed out. "I never said that we could understand each other."

I collapsed again. She really could build you up only to cut you down at the kneecaps. "So you really have no idea then?" I said, just to make sure.

"Yup," Kitsune chirped. "The only way you'll find out is if you go and speak to her!"

"I don't think she even wants to see my face," I muttered.

"Give her a gift or something to apologise," Mitsune said. "I don't know, like flowers. That usually goes down well."

"That isn't a bad idea, actually," I noted. "I wonder why I didn't think of it."

"Maybe because Naru is actually right and you are an idiot?" Mitsune suggested.

"You didn't have to say that!" I exclaimed. "But flowers are a good idea. I should go buy some."

"Good! I'll come with you!"

"It's okay; I can go on my own."

"You need a woman's opinion if you're buying flowers!"

"Really?"

"Really! Let's go!"

* * *

So here I was, in the middle of the street with Mitsune who was still drinking beer, wondering where the hell the flower shop was. "Do you know where the florist is?" I asked.

"How the hell am I meant to know? I thought you would know!" Mitsune said.

I sighed before saying, "Mitsune, isn't drinking not appropriate in public?"

"Well, as long as it's not illegal, I'm good," Kitsune replied before taking another swig of her beer. I sighed again. She really was shameless. Japanese culture hammers into you values of honour and humility yet Kitsune would laugh at them before drinking several bottles of sake just to prove her point. She really was a unique character.

After a while, it became totally fruitless. The two of us, well, it was basically me being followed by Mitsune, were wondering in circles, not getting anywhere. "Maybe I should ask somebody," I wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Kitsune said, throwing her empty beer can into a bin.

"You're not much use, are you?" I muttered.

"I'm just here to look good beside you," Mitsune pointed out with a wink.

I sighed, knowing that she would provide me with no help whatsoever. I looked to the nearest person on the street and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where the nearest flower shop is?"

"Huh?" replied the person I asked, who was a girl grasping a watermelon for reasons unknown to me. "Flower shop? Um…I think I walked past one…was that a flower shop or not…I can't remember!"

I immediately found this girl to be a bit odd but persisted, "Um, which way was it?"

"That way," the girl replied, pointing down the direction she came from. "I'm sure it was over that way."

"Okay, thank you," I said, suddenly finding her familiar somehow. The girl walked off, still tightly clutching her watermelon to her chest where there were, well, other kinds of melons which were rather large to say the least.

"Were you speaking to that girl or her breasts?" Kitsune asked with a laughed.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Your line of sight kept drifting down!" Kitsune explained. "You really are a perv, aren't you?"

"No, I'm…I'm not," I mumbled. "I just found her…familiar."

"Oh really?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I remember where I saw her. She was sitting right in front of me in the entrance exam."

"You remember her face or her jugs?"

"KITSUNE!" I cried, finally losing it.

"You're too easy!" Mitsune laughed. "You shouldn't be embarrassed. Her boobs are about the same size as mine."

"No comment," I muttered.

"And you've copped a feel once, if I recall," Mitsune added.

"For the record, that was all you, okay?!" I cried.

"Haha, I know. It's just the look on your face when I played the innocence card," Mistune chuckled. "Priceless."

"Great. First Motoko makes fun of me. Now you. And Naru's pissed off with me for nothing. Some day this is turning out to be," I said. "And I nearly got run over today as well."

"Really? When was that?"

"This morning at Toudai. Some idiot nearly crushed me with his van. Turns out he's a university employee and I had to ask him for directions."

"Sounds like you were fraternising with the enemy there. I would never trust anybody who just nearly ran me over!"

"Me neither really. This guy was like no one I've ever met before though. At first, I thought he was a clueless moron who had no idea about anything because he kept walking in circles and tried to light a cigarette indoors. But it turned out he had some decent advice and was a pretty cool guy."

"Sounds like someone I know," Mitsune noted. "There's that flower shop."

The two of us walked in and I picked out a bouquet of mixed flowers. I didn't know what any of them were called but they looked nice. "But yeah, this guy had a PhD in archaeology and was an occasional lecturer which must mean he knows what he's talking about right? Weird thing was that he failed the Tokyo University entrance exam 3 times," I continued as I handed money over at the till.

"Now he really sounds like someone I know," Mitsune said as the two of us made our way outside. "What was his name?"

"Seta or something like that," I replied.

"…Seta?" Mitsune asked nervously.

"Yeah, Seta," I said. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Was he tall, wore glasses, medium length black hair?" Mitsune asked.

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

"I do indeed. So does Naru."

"What? Really?"

"Yup. She knows him as well in two separate capacities, shall we say."

Now I was incredibly intrigued. It was a small world, meeting someone that knew two people that I was already acquainted with. "Seta was Naru's tutor in high school," Mitsune said. "She also had a massive crush on him…which I don't think ever went away," Mitsune replied.

"She has a crush on him?!" I exclaimed. "I…I never knew that."

"Of course you wouldn't! To be honest, I think Seta will be the last person Naru would like to see again with her failing the entrance exam and everything," Mitsune noted. "I think it would be best you didn't mention this to Naru."

"Okay," I said. "I just can't get over how you both know this guy as well, although I did meet him in less than amiable circumstances."

"He is a horrendous driver," Mitsune agreed. "Man, I need another beer. That was a blast from the past just there."

* * *

Shortly after arriving back at the Hinata Inn, I found myself outside Naru's room, holding the flowers behind my back. I thought out the possible outcomes to this scenario in my head. She could be all happy and forgiving and hug me and be my best friend forever. That was the least likely possibility. The other option, the most pessimistic albeit realistic, was that she slams the door in my face and leaves me with flowers which I didn't need nor want. Next came figuring out what to say. I thought of a few lines before realising that I was epically crap when it came to things like this. I then decided not to think about what I would say and knocked the door. I immediately regretted this very poor decision of mine but it was too late to do anything about it know.

The door opened in front of me and there was Naru, looking fairly neutral upon seeing me. "Yes?" she asked with an expression that made it impossible to gauge her mood.

"Um, these flowers," I said, holding them out to Naru, "they are for…me being…an ass earlier…sorry."

It was good to see that I had completely lost the ability to articulate words into coherent sentences. Apart from that, I got a completely unexpected reaction from Naru. She started…laughing, of all things. "Uh…something funny?" I asked, not knowing what the hell to do.

"You're an idiot," Naru said with a huge grin on her face after laughing. "I was just being moody earlier. I don't deserve flowers."

"Well…I'm not going to do anything with them," I said, handing them to her.

"You're an idiot," Naru said again before smelling the flowers, "but you're a sweet one, I guess. Gosh, these smell lovely."

"Um…okay," I said, nodding my head nervously. "I hope…everything is okay."

"It is," Naru said. "I'm just facing up to the prospect of another year of cram school. Maybe you could tutor me, Mr Toudai student."

"Tutor…?" I said, remembering my conversation with Mitsune earlier in the day.

"Anything the matter?" Naru asked, obviously picking up from my facial expression that something was amiss in this simple mind of mine.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just…well, I thought you were really mad at me before," I said.

"I was but like I said, it was just me being moody. You obviously understand why I am," Naru explained.

"Yeah," I said. "Um, that's all I really came here to do. Flowers…for you."

There goes my ability to speak again.

"Well if you're not doing anything, why don't you come in? I could use a chat," Naru said.

"Um, okay," I said, stepping forward before Naru very promptly stopped me.

"Not yet," Naru said before shutting the door. I head some shuffling for about a minute from her room before she opened the door, meaning that she was cleaning the mess that often formed a girl's room. She then opened the door, slightly flush from running about and cleaning and said, "You can come in now!"

"You don't have to clean for me," I said as I walked in.

"Keitaro, there are some things in a girls room she might leave lying about that she doesn't want guys to see," Naru said.

"I see," I noted, getting the hint. I didn't think girls left their undergarments lying about but then again, I'm not the kind of guy who knows a lot about girls.

As I saw down at her table, I saw the flowers I gave her right beside her bed in a small, plain, white vase. I guess girls really do appreciate flowers, despite how clichéd the idea was. "Coffee?" Naru asked. "Or tea?"

"Coffee, please," I replied.

"Coming right up."

Naru set down a mug in front of me before sitting across from me. "So, I appreciate that you've gotten in and everything but that's not the expertise I need from you. You've failed twice, therefore you've had to deal with failure. I'm just wondering what you did to deal with it."

"How I…dealt with it?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, what did you do as soon as you found out you failed?" Naru said.

"Um…well, I moped around for a bit. Then I told my parents. The second time I did eventually caused them to kick me out of my house," I answered.

"That's not really the answer I'm looking for," Naru muttered. "Surely you must have done something to pick yourself up."

"I just…well," I said, struggling to find words to say. "I guess you can only do your best in life, so you might as well enjoy the ride. The ride was what brought me here and…"

"Wait, what did you say?" Naru interrupted.

"Um, you can only do your best in life so you might as well enjoy the ride?" I said.

"Yeah, I was sure you said that. My tutor in high school used to say that to me. Funny that you should say the same thing he does," Naru noted.

"Um, yeah," I said nervously, realising that I shouldn't really let on that I met him today.

"God, thinking about him brings back a few memories. I don't think I could bear seeing him just now with me failing and everything."

Now would be a good time to keep my mouth shut. Usually when I opened it in situations like this, I screw up. "Oh well. That's in the past anyway. He mustn't have been that good if I failed!" Naru said with a laugh.

"I guess so," I said with an uneasy smile.

"So yeah, what did you do to pick yourself up?" Naru said, continuing our previous line of conversation.

"I don't know. Obviously, just after you fail, you're upset, hence the moping around. But I was determined to get it so I bit the bullet, went to cram school once more and tried my best again," I said.

"Surely you must have had a reason? I mean, failing twice, most people would give up at that point," Naru noted.

"Well, there is a reason…"

"Really?" Naru asked.

"You're going to think it's stupid," I said.

"I won't. Any reason to want to get into Tokyo University must be a good one," Naru said with a smile.

"Well," I said before swallowing hard, "fifteen years ago, I made a promise to a girl that I'd get into Toudai with her and find happiness with her. She moved away shortly afterwards and I've been determined to get into Tokyo University since…silly, right?"

"That is," Naru began before bursting with a flurry of emotion, "so ROMANTIC! I wished I had a reason as good as that to want to get in!"

"Well, it was just a child's game back then. And I can't even remember this girl's name or what she looked like," I pointed out.

"Oh," Naru said. "Way to spoil to good mood. I thought you had a match made in heaven just waiting for you."

"Nope," I replied. "If she's in Toudai now, she's probably forgotten all about it. I suck with girls anyway."

"You'll find the right girl someday, I guess," Naru said with a smile.

"What about you?" I asked. "Why do you want to get into Toudai?"

"Well, mine is a little bit silly," Naru said.

"You just said that any reason to want to get into Toudai was a good one, remember?" I pointed out.

"I guess so," Naru said. "Well, remember that tutor I talked about? I had a really big crush on him and because he was a Tokyo University student at the time, I wanted to go to the same place as he did. That's why I originally wanted to get in."

Naru wasn't aware that most of this story was already familiar to me. Apart from the 'wanting to get into Toudai because of him' part. That sprung up on me something nasty. "I've got a new reason now though," Naru said.

"And what's that?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied.

"No," I said.

"The reason is you," Naru said.

My face went bright red at that point. If this wasn't an admission of love then I don't know what was. "…M-m-m-me?" I stuttered like a nimrod.

"Yup! I can't let an idiot like you beat me so I have to get into Toudai!" Naru said with a chuckle.

I collapsed for what must have been the hundredth time today. I was well and truly thrown off my high horse there. Naru found my parade and rained all over it. Then again, my original assumption was quite naïve.

"I guess so," I said, having come back down to Earth fairly hard.

"You should feel privileged! You're my new motivation for getting into Tokyo University," Naru said.

"If this is about who's smarter, it's always going to be you," I pointed out.

"Not until I get into Toudai it isn't! So watch your back; I'll be right behind you!" Naru said.

I smiled. I guess I gave her something and that was the drive to succeed. I've always had that with my foolhardy promise to a girl I didn't even remember so I guess if I gave her a reason to be determined, then things were all right.

There was a knock at the door and Naru got up to get it. She opened it and was greeting by a smiling Shinobu. "Hi Naru. Do you know where Keitaro is?" she asked.

"He's right here," Naru replied.

I got up and said, "What is it, Shinobu?"

"There's a girl in the living room who says she wants to live here," Shinobu said.

"Um…why have you come to see me?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Because you're the manager!" Naru cried.

"Oh yeah," I said sheepishly. "Okay, I'll go speak to her."

* * *

Obviously, Naru wouldn't let me make a decision on somebody staying her without the counsel of the girls already living there. When I got into the living room, I immediately recognised the girl, the watermelon she was carrying and her, uh, other melons. "Hey, you're the girl I asked for directions today!" I said.

She looked up to me with a confused face and said, "Eh?"

I collapsed in absolute astonishment before climbing to my feet and yelling, "You don't remember me?! That was just today!!"

"Oh wait, I remember!" the girl said before laughing. "I remember now."

"Agh," I said with a sigh before taking a seat on the sofa across from her. "So, you want a place to stay here?"

"Yes, I do! I heard the Hinata Inn was an all girl's dormitory with a reasonable rent which was a reasonable distance from Tokyo!" she said with a smile. "You see, I just failed the Toudai entrance exam. I want to re-sit the exam but because I live in Okinawa, I thought it would be better to live closer to the university."

"Well, we have plenty of rooms. This place is huge," I said. "So you can take your pick. That is if the other girls don't object."

I turned around and got thumbs up from everyone. "Well, that settles it. Welcome to the Hinata Inn. I'm your manager, Keitaro Urashima. What's your name?" I asked, extending my hand.

"I'm Mutsumi Otohime," she replied, reaching for my hand. However, just as she was about to grab it, she fell onto the ground and dropped that watermelon she was holding. A moment passed and she wasn't moving. "Um…Mutsumi?" I asked, giving her a shake. "Wait…she isn't breathing…"

"YOU'VE KILLED HER!" Su cried.

"WHAT?!" I yelled.

"I didn't take you for a murderer, Urashima," said Motoko, getting reading to draw her sword.

"No, wait! I didn't…you don't honestly think I…killed her?!" I asked. I looked at Mutsumi's body and again saw no movement. Was she really dead?!

This day could not get any worse.


End file.
